UNFORTUNATELY, some Saudis still believe in a conspiracy theory that the Western world is colluding to publish and air negative news about us. Those people seem to be confident that the negative news and images seen by people in the West will not have any negative impact on us on the long term and that their impact will be limited to the places where they have been published or aired. Of course, this is not true; the negative images will have a major impact on our reputation as a country. The negative stereotypes the Western media has been promoting are dangerous. There is no doubt that stereotypes about Muslims were formed because of numerous factors that are not the subject of this article. Those who think that such stereotypes will not affect our reputation should think again. If Muslims are continued to be depicted as savage and backward, they will be despised by people in the West. This fact manifests itself on a daily basis in the West and it is seen in the way some Westerners treat Muslims. Moreover, the negative stereotype about the Kingdom will take its toll on the national economy. Western businessmen will be reluctant to venture into projects with Saudi partners. They will also fear our business laws. Therefore, it is incumbent on each member of society to work hard to improve the negative image of our country. We must be concerned about how the West views us because a positive image will serve and further our interests. We are not doing it because we want to please the West. No. We are working toward this goal because the entire world today lives in a small village where coexistence should be the norm. At the government level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with the ministries of interior, Islamic affairs, education, and culture and information to design a strategy to fight extremism and improve the distorted image of the Kingdom. We, as citizens, should play a role in this as well.
